"That moment, when I saw the wounded warriors coming across the bridge into Georgetown on their prostheses and their cycles," said the founder and CEO of Newport News' An Achievable Dream school, "I knew I was going to do this. It was that simple."

Two years later, Segaloff's vision took root with the announcement Tuesday of an annual two-day race event in Williamsburg.

The inaugural Run for the Dream Half-Marathon will be held May 22, 2011, one day after the first Fit To Run, Fit To Dream 8-kilometer run/walk.

Proceeds from the events will benefit An Achievable Dream and the Wounded Warriors program.

"Our city is very pleased to be part of this collaborative effort," Williamsburg mayor Jeanne Zeidler said. "This race is a great opportunity for this city and the entire community."

Segaloff partnered with the city of Williamsburg, Colonial Williamsburg, William and Mary, the city's Chamber of Commerce and Tourism alliance and Fort Eustis. He secured primary corporate sponsorship from TowneBank, Busch Gardens, Riverside Health Systems, Mancon and Smithfield Foods.

Most notably, he convinced Dave McGillivray, who has been the race director for the Boston Marathon for the past 22 years, to come on board as director. McGillivray's Massachusetts-based company stages events all over the country and is considered the gold standard of race administrators.

"What makes an event a great event is community support," said McGillivray, who has made several trips to the area within the past year and also attended Tuesday's announcement. "I've seen none better than what I've seen in Williamsburg."

Both races will begin and end at William and Mary, with the respective finish lines inside Zable Stadium. Both courses wind through the historic area of colonial Williamsburg. The half-marathon course, which is 13.1 miles, will take runners onto Colonial Parkway toward Jamestown before a turnaround back to Williamsburg.

Organizers plan to limit the field of the first half-marathon to 4,000 runners and the first 8K to 2,000 participants, in order to work out the kinks. The long-term goal is to accommodate 15,000 runners.

"This is not just a race of 3,000 or 4,000 runners," Segaloff said. "This can build into one of the best races on the East Coast."